One grand prize winning fan and local retailer to be featured on an exclusive variant cover of a Star Trek comic!

San Diego, CA (November 2, 2011)—Are you a comics fan who loves your local comics store? Are you willing to "die" to protect your retailer? Prove it, with the Star Trek "Be A Redshirt" contest! Starting today, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), IDW Publishing and CBS Consumer Products are giving Star Trek fans a chance to "Be a Redshirt" on the cover of an upcoming STAR TREK comic.

Originating in the classic Star Trek episodes and expanding to pop culture at large, a "redshirt" is a character that dies soon after being introduced. With the "Be a Reshirt" contest, the winning fan will have the honor of "dying" while heroically saving their retailer. The grand prizewinner will be featured as a "redshirt" on an upcoming cover of IDW's new STAR TREK ongoing series, placing themselves between their local retailer and a phaser blast. The "Be a Redshirt" contest is open to any comics reader who thinks their local retailer is the best in the business.

"As redshirts are famous for always catching the phaser in Star Trek episodes, and as comic fans can be so loyal in defending their local retailer, it's the perfect contest," said Dirk Wood, IDW's Director of Retailer Marketing, "And partnering with the CBLDF is perfect, because no one knows more about defending retailers than they do."

To enter the "Be A Redshirt" contest, fans must e-mail their explanation in 300 words or less about why their retailer is the best to IDW at
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with the subject: Save My Retailer. The winning fan and their retailer will be depicted on a limited-edition variant cover of STAR TREK. This special cover will be limited to only 300 copies: 100 each to the winning fan and their retailer, plus 100 to CBLDF to help them continue the important and challenging work of defending retailers everywhere. The winning fan will also receive the original art, by the Sharp Brothers.

Launched in September, IDW's new STAR TREK ongoing series explores the new Star Trek universe, following the events of the game-changing, blockbuster 2009 film. Joining forces with Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, IDW and CBS explore the vast implications of the alternate timeline created by the film in this new, monthly, ongoing comics series that reimagines classic Star Trek episodes.

Under the creative direction of Orci, fan-favorite STAR TREK writer Mike Johnson and artists Stephen Molnar and Joe Corroney bring this alternate universe to life and begin the countdown to the highly anticipated Star Trek sequel. Following alternate-reality versions of "Where No One Has Gone Before" and "Galileo 7," STAR TREK #5 kicks off a two-part re-imagining of "Operation: Annihilate." This gripping episode brings Captain Kirk comes face to face with ghosts from his past when a rescue mission reunites him with the last person he expects to see.

In addition to print, STAR TREK comics are also available digitally through a variety of free apps, including, through the Apple's iTunes: the Star Trek Comics app, the Comics by comiXology app and the IDW Comics app.

STAR TREK #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) is now available in comic stores and on iTunes. Diamond order code JUL11 0308.

STAR TREK #2 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) is now available in comic stores and on iTunes. Diamond order code AUG11 0309.

STAR TREK #3 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in November. Diamond order code SEP11 0289.

STAR TREK #4 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in December. Diamond order code OCT11 0359.

STAR TREK #5 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in January. Diamond order code NOV11 0319.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW PublishingIDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; HBO's True Blood; the BBC's DOCTOR WHO; Toho's Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About CBS Consumer ProductsCBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company's extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films. Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com

Apple, the Apple logo, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Content purchased from the iTunes Store is for personal lawful use only. Don't steal music.

Source: Press Release
Written or Contributed by: Jude Terror

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About the Author - Jude Terror

Jude Terror is the Webmaster Supreme of The Outhouse and a sarcastic ace reporter dedicated to delivering irreverent comics and entertainment news to The Outhouse's dozens of loyal readers. Driven by a quest for vengeance, Jude Terror taught himself to program and joined The Outhouse. He instantly began working toward his goal of forcing the internet comics community to take itself less seriously and failing miserably. Ironically, our webmaster, whose website skills know no end, has very little understanding of social networks or how they work. Regardless, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, but would probably have the most luck just emailing him.